# overview: Key Terms
URL: https://generaltranslation.com/en-US/docs/overview/key-terms.mdx
---
title: Key Terms
description: A guide to the key terminology used by General Translation
---

<TOC />

## Locale

A locale is **a language or dialect**. 

In these docs, the term "locale" usually refers to the "locale code", which is a BCP 47 language tag representing a particular locale.
For example, `en-US` is a locale code, which refers to the English language as spoken in the United States of America.

* [Read more about locales](/docs/core/locales)
* [List of supported locales](/docs/platform/supported-locales)

## Translation

<Callout>Who does translation? **Human translators, language model APIs**</Callout>

Translation means converting content from one language or dialect, represented by a locale code, into another language or dialect, represented by another locale code.

For example:
- Translating `es` into `en-US` means "rewriting Spanish content into US English".
- Translating `es` into `en-GB` means "rewriting Spanish content into British English".
- Translating `en-US` into `en-GB` means "rewriting this US English into the British English dialect".

```javascript
// es -> en-US
gt.translate("Tenemos un ascensor", "en-US") // -> "We have an elevator"

// es -> en-GB
gt.translate("Tenemos un ascensor", "en-GB") // -> "We have a lift"

// en-GB -> en-US
gt.translate("We have a lift", "en-US") // -> "We have an elevator"
```

## Internationalization (i18n)

<Callout>Who does internationalization? **Software engineers, AI coding agents**</Callout>

Internationalization, also called i18n, is the process of transforming a codebase so that it can support multiple locales.
This is usually done with an internationalization library like [gt-next](/docs/next) or [gt-react](/docs/react).

Internationalization is not the process of translation itself.
Technically, you can have an *internationalized* codebase *translated* into only one language.

## Localization (l10n)

Localization, also called l10n, is the process of adapting a product for a particular locale.
This involves both internationalization **and** translation. 

In some cases, localization requires more than just internationalization and translation.
For example, you might need to be able to accept payments in a different currency or follow data regulations in a different region.